British Open Delivers Record Setting Telecasts
Phil Mickelson beat out the likes of Lee Westwood, Adam Scott, and Tiger Woods last week to win his first ever British Open championship and, according to the latest numbers, a record number of people gathered around their televisions to watch.
The Claret Jug, handed out to the champion of the British Open. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Despite being aired in the early morning hours here on the east coast of the United States and in the middle of the night on the west coast, the British Open set new records for ratings and total viewership of the event.
Starting at 4am on Thursday and Friday and 8am on Saturday and Sunday, ESPN earned a record-tying 3.1 U.S. rating for Sunday’s final round telecast. The telecast, which averaged over 4.3 million viewers, set a cable viewership record for the event, eclipsing last year’s mark when just over 4.2 million viewers watched.
Sunday’s final round received the third-highest ranking among all golf telecasts on cable. While many tuned in to watch Mickelson make his historical comeback, Tiger Woods seems to be the common factor in all three. In addition to Sunday’s round, the Jupiter Island resident was also part of the two highest rated golf telecasts on cable which included his 2008 U.S. Open playoff win over Rocco Mediate and his first round of the 2010 Masters.
Open Season Wraps Up This Week
During the months of June and July several countries held their national championships of golf. It started in the second week of June when Merion Golf Club hosted the U.S. Open. Since Justin Rose won our national championship and the season’s second major, Ireland, France, Scotland, and the UK all followed suit, highlighted by Phil Mickelson’s Scottish sweep with wins at the Scottish Open and British Open.
The ninth green at Glen Abbey Golf Club, home of this year’s RBC Canadian Open. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
The season of the open comes to an end this week when the PGA Tour hosts the 104th edition of the RBC Canadian Open. Returning to Glen Abbey Golf Club in Ontario for the 26th time, some of the top golfers in the world, including seven of the top 16, will look to conquer the Jack Nicklaus designed course and win Canada’s national championship.
17 Canadian born golfers will all look to become the first to win their national championship since Pat Fletcher in 1954. Others competing in the RBC Canadian Open include Jupiter resident Ernie Els, Old Palm resident Char Schwartzel, Loxahatchee River resident Dustin Johnson, and Bears Club resident Luke Donald. All four competed last week at the British Open with Schwartzel’s tie for 15th being the best finish among them.
In total, 29 of the 156 golfers competing this week played in last week’s British Open. For complete coverage of the RBC Canadian Open including tee times for the first two days, visit www.pgatour.com.
115 Seagrape Drive 203 l Sandpiper Cove at Botanica Condo l Jupiter
This lovely two bedroom town home is located in the Sandpiper Cove community at Botanica Condominiums.
The living room area features a built-in entertainment center and opens up to the kitchen and dining room. The home also has a private den, perfect for anything from an office or play room to an extra storage area. The spacious bedrooms have separate full bathrooms.
Sandpiper Cove is located just around the corner from the clubhouse and pool at Botanica. In addition, it is located in the heart of Jupiter and just minutes away from the Abacoa Town Center and Roger Dean Stadium. In addition to the town center, Sandpiper Cove is surrounded by some of the best beach, boating, and golfing options in the area. It is located just minutes from the Jupiter Inlet, home to some of the best fishing and boating while Abacoa Golf Club is one of the top public golf courses in the country.
For more information on this condo or to set up a showing contact Natalya Daley at (561) 398-8294 or natalya@wfpcc.com.
Phil Mickelson Wins First Career British Open
In what will surely be looked at as one of the greatest comebacks in not just golf but all of sports, Phil Mickelson erased a five shot deficit entering Sunday to win his first career British Open.
Mickelson, who won his first ever golf tournament on British soil last week at the Scottish Open shot a 5-under 66 on Sunday that left golfers and spectators around the world stunned. His final round 66 was not only the best score to be posted by anyone in the field on Sunday, it was also his personal best for a final round in a major in his hall of fame career.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
While Phil was sinking birdies at what seemed at ease (he carded four birdies over the final six holes) the rest of the field struggled to make pars, allowing Mickelson to shoot up the leader board and claim the Claret Jug.
Old Palm resident Lee Westwood, who entered Sunday with a two-shot lead, shot a 75 and finished in a tie for third. Masters champion Adam Scott birdied the 11th hole to take the lead before making four bogeys on the last five holes to join Westwood in a tie for third. Tiger entered the day just two shots back of Westwood. The Jupiter Island resident was in the best position to win a major since his last win at the 2008 U.S. Open. Woods shot a final round 74 and had to settle for a tie for sixth.
At the end of the day, when the top golfers on the leader board struggled, Mickelson kept fighting and did something he never though that he would be able to accomplish in his career.
“This is such an accomplishment for me because I just never knew if I’d be able to develop the game to play links golf effectively,” Mickelson said. “To play the best round arguably of my career, to putt better than I’ve ever putted, to shoot the round of my life … it feels amazing to win the claret jug.”
With the win, not only did Mickelson win his fifth career major and get one step closer to the career grand slam (he still needs to win the U.S. Open where he has been a runner up six time), he also moved up to number two in the FedEx Cup standings and in the Official World Golf Ranking.
4302 Captains Way l Admirals Cove l Jupiter
This charming club cottage home is located in the luxurious development of Admirals Cove. The home has lush tropical landscaping and a private, fenced in back yard.
Located within walking distance from the clubhouse, tennis complex, and marina, the home features a new AC unit as well as a kitchen that opens up to a spacious living room area. The large marble master bathroom has his and hers sinks, a Roman style tub, and an extended shower.
Found among some of the most desirable Real Estate in Jupiter is Admirals Cove, an elite gated community. Admirals Cove is known for its rolling, green golf courses, luxurious amenities and stunning homes.
For more information on this condo or to set up a showing contact Rob Thomson and the Admirals Cove team at (561) 222-2444 or acteam@wfpcc.com.
Woods, Dustin Johnson One Shot off the Lead Heading Into the Weekend
It was another windy and dry day and Muirfield Golf Club in Scotland as the leader board started to look more like a U.S. Open than a British Open.
With the greens and fairways dried out and running fast and firm for the second straight day, Tiger Woods went out in the morning wave of golfers and shot an even par 71 to stay at 2-under for the tournament. The Jupiter Island resident, who started the day three shots back, struggled around the greens most of the day as they continued to dry out even more. Playing the back nine at one over par for the day, Woods made a difficult birdie putt on the tough 18th hole to get back to even par on the day.
The Claret Jug, handed out to the champion of the British Open. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
While Woods shot two strokes higher than in round one, the results were better on day two. Woods opened the day up three shots behind round one leader Zach Johnson. As he remained steady, shooting even par, the rest of the field struggled even more as most of the afternoon wave of golfers failed to match or break par. Woods now enters this weekend in a tie for second and only one shot back of the 36 hole leader Miguel Angle Jimenez.
Joining Woods at 2-under heading into the weekend is Loxahatchee River resident Dustin Johnson. Like Woods, Johnson struggled to get anything going on day two firing a one-over par 72. The bright spot of the day for Johnson was an eagle on the par 5 fifth hole. It was his second eagle in as many rounds in the tournament.
While most golfers failed to break par on the day, a few golfers did manage to get in the red with a couple of neighbors sharing the low score of the day. Old Palm residents Lee Westwood and Charl Schwartzel both shot rounds of 68 to get back into contention heading into the weekend. For Westwood, the 3-under round puts him just one shot back of the leader and in a tie with Woods and Johnson while Schwartzel’s round moves in into a tie for 11th and four shots back.
For complete coverage of the British Open including a full leader board, visit www.theopen.com.
21 Selby Lane l Barclay Club at PGA National l Palm Beach Gardens
This fabulous three bedroom home is located in the Barclay Club in PGA National. With an expanded floor plan and a wrap around brick patio, the home has an eastern exposure.
The home features high ceilings and and tile floors throughout and a remodeled eat-in kitchen with granite and stainless steel appliances. The home has a private courtyard entrance and is just a short walk away from the park and athletic fields inside PGA National. The community also has a lakeside pool and picnic area.
PGA National is one of the premier facilities in the country, offering five golf courses, a world renowned spa, nine restaurants and bars, and a full service resort. For more information on this condo or to set up a showing contact Laurie Nugent at (561) 222-2435 or lnugent@wfpcc.com.
Tiger Shoots Two-Under in Opening Round of British Open
Tiger Woods went out on a very dry and windy afternoon at Muirfield Golf Club and shot the lowest round of the afternoon, firing a 2-under 69. His 2-under was good enough for a tie for ninth and only three shots behind leader Zach Johnson.
While the morning still had some moisture on the course from the watering the night before, as the day went on the course dried out and hardened, making it tougher and tougher to go low.
Muirfield in Scotland, home to the 2013 British Open. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Woods’ day got off to a rough start. After hooking his opening tee shot into an unplayable part of the rough, the Jupiter Island resident got up and down and managed to salvage a bogey. It was one of only three bogeys carded by Woods on the day, who despite the conditions getting tougher and tougher as the day went on prevailed and even carded five birdies.
One shot ahead of Woods on the leader board after round one is Dustin Johnson. The Loxahatchee River resident took advantage of the morning conditions to fire a 3-under 68, hitting 14 of the 18 greens in regulation thanks to having success with his 3-iron.
Sitting in a tie with Woods at 2-under are Phil Mickelson and Jordan Speith. Both won their respective tournaments last week (Speith won the John Deere Classic and Mickelson won the Scottish Open) and, like Johnson, took advantage of the morning conditions to go low.
Woods will hope for conditions similar to today’s when he goes out tomorrow morning. Woods will tee off at 4:44am ET. For complete coverage of the British Open including a full leader board, visit www.theopen.com.
4600 N Ocean Drive Unit 1403 l Beach Front l Singer Island
This gorgeous Singer Island condo offers breathtaking ocean and wrap around intracoastal views from all three bedrooms and living areas. Built in 2007, the condo has three separate large terraces, one for each room. With endless views from every angle, the condo also has hurricane impact glass on all the windows.
Beach Front condominiums offers is a private luxury community that has a mangrove lined lake entrance and lush tropical landscaping. The amenities offered to residents include an ocean front pool and spa, private beach access, a BBQ grilling area, a community room, and a fitness center.
For more information on this condo or to set up a showing contact John Nugent at (561) 222-2431 or jnugent@wfpcc.com.
Tiger Woods Signs Extension To Stay With Nike
Tiger Woods signed a new endorsement deal with his club and apparel sponsor Nike that will likely keep the Jupiter Island resident with the company for the remainder of his career.
Tiger Woods wins The Players Championship in May. Photo courtesy of Getty Images
While the financial terms or exact length of the contract were not disclosed, Tiger’s agent, Mark Steinberg did announce that the contract was signed about two weeks ago after meetings took place in Florida.
“We’re comfortable with where we ended up and the career trajectory that Tiger will be on with Nike,” Steinberg told ESPN. “I’m thrilled we were able to complete this deal.”
Woods’ current deal was signed in 2006 and he has been with Nike since turning pro in 1996 when he signed a five-year deal worth a reported $40 million. Woods also has endorsement deals with Rolex, Fuse, NetJets, EA Sports and Kowa, a Japanese company but Nike has been his longest standing sponsor.
With the new contract, Nike has now guaranteed that they have both the number one and number two golfers in the world in their clothing and using their equipment. In January, Nike signed then world number one Rory Mcllroy to a 10-year deal worth upwards of $200 million over the life of the contract. Prior to signing with Nike, the Palm Beach Gardens resident had been sponsored by Titelist since turning pro.
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